Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with salary and career

An acceptable answer to a salary inquiry?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:36:47 -0800

How do I respond to an interviewers salary questions? In just a few days I have an interview with another company. From past experiences I know that at some point I will be asked what I currently make. This normally wouldn't be a problem but I am hesitant to do so with this interview.

I know that in this new but similar role you generally make at least 20k more than what I make now. That's a fact. What I fear is that I may low-ball myself and drastically reduce my earning potential if I tell them, even though I am just as qualified as everyone else. This is assuming everything goes well and I get an offer.

Should I not answer with a number and just tell them it's negotiable?

Should I exaggerate my current salary to something closer to their standards?

Right now I am leaning towards the negotiable option but it's not set in stone.

How would I go about asking for a salary increase in my yearly review?

decrescendo — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:39:46 -0800

How would I go about asking for a salary increase in my yearly review? I came in to this job as the #2 guy on a 2-person contract and then the #1 guy (my supervisor and project manager) quit. I'm now project manager and the only one on site. I feel like I should receive some sort of corresponding raise with this increase in responsibility. I've been working for a small employee-owned defense contractor since I graduated from college with an aerospace engineering degree in May of 2007. I worked in a different area of the country with this same company until I decided that I wanted to move to DC. I told my company I was going to look for a job in DC and they surprisingly ended up offering me a position in DC that I considered to be out of my league at the time. This position made me the "2nd string guy" out of 2 guys working on-site at a very large, high-visibility Department of Defense program office. I'm honestly in a little over my head due to the scale of this program and the type of working I'm doing but I feel like I'm doing a great job given my age and experience.

The old #1 guy on this project (my supervisor and the project manager) was a retired Marine Corp officer who was old enough to be my dad. He ended up leaving 6 months after I started working there, leaving me to be the only person on our contract in this program office. I did not feel like I knew enough at the time to be project manager but I feel like I've been doing a great job. My company's CEO often tells me how great of a job I'm doing given my age. He's apparently pleasantly surprised.

I had to fight for a salary increase when I came to this job. It sort of bothered me that my company thought I'd be able to get by in this part of the country on the salary I had when I was living in the middle of nowhere. I get the impression my company is very stingy about salary increases.

Now that I've been automatically moved up to project manager on our contract here, I feel like there should be some sort of salary increase since my responsibilities have most definitely increased. I have a yearly review coming up in early July and I want to attempt to ask for a raise. I feel that I deserve one not only due to my performance, but also by my move up to the project manager slot.

Not only am I not totally sure how to approach this, but I wish I had some sort of salary data available to me for reference. I really have no idea where I stand salary-wise. I know there are websites that are used to compare salaries, but I don't feel like this job will be one easily found online.

Do any of you have any recommendations on how to approach this? I'd really appreciate it. I've found some sites about this subject that are listed below, but I'd really like to hear some feedback directly tailored to my issue. Thanks!

Pages I've found so far:
Lifehacker
Lifehack
Lifehacker
Lifehacker
Get Rich Slowly

Determining salary and compensation requirements, prior to interview with new employer

valannc — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:23:02 -0800

Interviewing at new employer... how to determine salary and compensation requirements? My husband is about to have his third interview with a large IT corporation. The HR rep has asked for his compensation requirements -- base salary, equity, and bonus. Any tips on how to determine for the correct compensation figures, and how to negotiate? We don't want to lowball the salary request. We are clueless about requesting equity, as that has not been an option with previous employers.

If my husband takes the position, he will be a manager/analyst responsible for hiring and leading a small team. This is a high profile project and a great opportunity. There are other consideration outside of "typical" salaries for the job. He is an experienced SME with an advanced degree and professional certifications. We would need to relocate, which we would be happy to do.

I see several web sites that list compensation history for specific companies: payscale.com, vault.com, glassdoor.com, the US DOL's Occupational Outlook Handbook
Does anyone know which online resources have the best data and give the best advice?

Respondents to an earlier Askmefi post asserted that salary surveys are not reliable. Any opinions?

How can I make sure I can squeeze as much money as possible out of my company in my new position in DC?

decrescendo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:13:46 -0800

How can I make sure I can squeeze as much money as possible out of my company in my new position in DC? I'm currently working for a small, employee-owned 28 person company in Southern Maryland. I currently pay about $1000 dollars per month for rent and have a salary of $52k.

I do not like the area down here whatsoever, so I told my company I was going to attempt to find a job in DC. The CEO of our company then asked me to take a look at one of our positions in DC. I said I would but I wasn't really sure if I would be interested in it.

Now, I really want that DC position. The more I hear about it, the more I like it. There are many reasons for taking this position, but the main one is that I basically end up with a promotion out of this move while staying with a company that I really enjoy working for. It also gets me working in an area I really like (Crystal City) and this position is definitely a step up from the one I currently have.

The person in my company who previously had this job I'm going to take made at least $110k while working there. I am going to be ending up in this position after only one year of work experience after graduating with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He was coming off an illustrious Naval career.

I know the contract for this position up in DC makes my company enough money to pay the previous employee at least $110k. Otherwise, they wouldn't have paid him what they did. How can I make sure I can get as much money as possible, keeping in mind I only have one year of experience and make $52k now? I don't want to offend my company by sounding greedy, but DC is very expensive.

I am making the move to DC because I want a change in lifestyle. My company knows this. They know I'm bored out of my mind down here. I made it clear to them that the reason I was looking for employment in DC was ONLY due to what my life is like after 4 pm. It has nothing to do with my current position. They then offered me this more senior position so they apparently like me a lot and want to keep me around (and need to fill this position before they lose it).

How can I make sure I can make as much as possible in this position so I'm able to live where I want to live without starving myself to make the rent payment and deal with the cost of living? I already work for this company so I'm sure this type of negotiation is not the same as it would be by coming from the outside. Any advice?

Thanks, yet again, MeFi.

Salary negotiation: Can I ask my employer-to-be to match a counter-offer from my current employer?

PlusDistance — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:52:41 -0800

I've accepted a new job and I'm giving notice tomorrow. I may have low-balled myself, salary-wise. If my current employer counter-offers, can I ask my new employer to match? Just agreed to take a new job. It's an exciting opportunity at well-regarded company, but they're a relatively small operation, and people who worked there told me they were "downright cheap" when it came to salary. So when the recruiter asked me what I was looking for, I made an initial offer that was less than I would have asked for elsewhere (but more than I thought they'd give me). I expected them to counter, but instead they called back and gave me exactly what I asked! (The recruiter said, "Yes, that's pretty much what [executive I interviewed with] was thinking.") Now I wonder if I've low-balled myself.

Tomorrow morning I expect to get the offer letter, and then I'll give notice. My current employer might counter offer on salary.

Two questions: Would I be jeopardizing my new gig if I went back and asked them to match the new offer? And if not, how can I phrase it so it doesn't sound (or sounds less like) I'm simply shaking them down?

Salary Negotiation

gm2007 — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:30:57 -0800

How do I determine what my salary should be and prepare for salary negotiation in a job interview? I have an interview next week. The job was originally advertised with a relatively wide range (mid to high). The employer wants someone with a law degree, which I have; however, the person hired for the job will not be engaging in the daily practice of law in the traditional sense (i.e., going to court, drafting pleadings, etc.).

Cab driver earnings described?

swiffa — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:54:31 -0800

Where can I find classified ads or articles showing the range of earnings for a taxi driver leasing his own vehicle? Need something that an underwriter(mortgage) would recognize as an objective authority that confirms range of earnings a taxi driver could make. Please email for more details of necessary.

Average salary for 27 year old college grad.

blueplasticfish — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:08:33 -0800

What is the average salary for a 27 year old college graduate? I know there are a lot of variables here (based on experience, skills, etc.), but I am just looking for some sort of range based on what you've heard, read, researched, or experienced.